Statistics are like bikinis... What they cover up is more interesting than what they reveal.

The unemployment figures only show people that are collecting. Not recent college grads unable to find that first job, not people who have exhausted benefits. Comparing to Spain might be apples to oranges. What is thier number based on?

Statistics are like bikinis... What they cover up is more interesting than what they reveal.

The unemployment figures only show people that are collecting. Not recent college grads unable to find that first job, not people who have exhausted benefits. Comparing to Spain might be apples to oranges. What is thier number based on?

I am not comparing to Spain, I used spain because their unemployment is at 25% and had a nice graph (same as other two).

I am more talking about Europe and how that has increased 2%, while the US has decreased 2%.

I am not talking about the hidden numbers here. I am aware this does not count people who have just given up hope, or who have dropped out, or whatever...

I am just saying that on pure numbers why is the US doing better than Europe?

I don't know of any simple answer. I don't much pay attention to Europes unemployment, GDP or govt. policy regarding economics.

What I can say, is that if we are going purely on the numbers, we'd first need to have an honest count on unemployment to find the true number, because 7.9% isn't it for the US. I'd have to research Europe more to make any speculative, or even half-way data point guided conclusions.

I don't know of any simple answer. I don't much pay attention to Europes unemployment, GDP or govt. policy regarding economics.

What I can say, is that if we are going purely on the numbers, we'd first need to have an honest count on unemployment to find the true number, because 7.9% isn't it for the US. I'd have to research Europe more to make any speculative, or even half-way data point guided conclusions.

Well, my original point was, that Europe may start implementing, whatever Obama is doing, instead of what they are doing.

Not saying it is right, just stating this is what I have heard.

I know Europe has been dragging our economy down for the past year (esp Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy).

I thought you were asking why our UE is going down the last two years and why the EU UE keeps going up. And again, i don't know that there is a simple answer. On a realted note though, I did come across this gem today while reading the Mises Daily.

Economist Paul Krugman has a simple solution to America's economic woes: Prepare for an alien invasion.Arguing that the United States successfully ended the Great Depression with government spending, he provided an interesting idea about how to replicate that economic feat on Tuesday at the Take Back the American Dream conference in Washington, D.C."If you actually look at what took us out of the Great Depression," the Princeton University professor said in an interview with Chris Hayes of MSNBC. "It was Europe's entry into World War II and the U.S. buildup that began in advance.""So if we could get something that could cause the government to say, ‘Oh, never mind those budget things; let’s just spend and do a bunch of stuff.' So my fake threat from space aliens is the other route,” Krugman said before a laughing crowd. “I’ve been proposing that.”

The Princeton professor and New York Times columnist is a well-known fan of science fiction, which might explain his imaginative plan to spur an economic recovery.Krugman has offered up his space alien proposal before. Last year he told CNN about a "Twilight Zone" episode in which "scientists fake an alien threat in order to achieve world peace." He told CNN, "Well, this time ... we need it in order to get some fiscal stimulus."

A little bit? He's advocated such nonsense several times in several venues. And is overall position is that "austerity" ( ) which none of the EU and neither do we have in anyway, is a failed policy and that more spending and stimulus is needed.

He's dead serious. (further, none of your links show that he was being satirical in stated such nonsense.)

I'd say what he is really relaying in there is that disasters, wars, etc, in a moribund and sluggish economy, need to be shocked into life through massive monetary injection of govt. spending. and that budgets and deficits/debt don't matter and will rebound once this magical injection of M1 and M2 materializes in the overall economy.

I'd say what he is really relaying in there is that disasters, wars, etc, in a moribund and sluggish economy, need to be shocked into life through massive monetary injection of public works. and that budgets and deficits/debt dont matter and will rebound once this magical injection of M1 and M2 materializes int he overall economy.

Of course, he's full of fucking shit like it's rare.

Yes, wasn't that part secret rationale for Iraq war too?

I think that some of his other stuff points to spending for the sake of the economy, and that the economy being healthy will repay for what we borrow\spend today. Or am I cherry picking here?

Yes it was. The Iraq war and the Republicans is another case of the same old. They still eat it.

Well, what you propose on repayment has NEVER materialized. So in theory it might sound good but in reality it never happens. The same in Keynes theory that "austerity" should be done during the booms. It never happens. There is always a new reason to glutton like overspend.

Not really, I am just looking at the trend of Europe seemingly having high unemployment historically,

Cause in Europe? From conversations I had back in 1997 discussing from a European sense why going to the Euro was to risky. He was dead on with all of it. Just that certain countries are not as strong economically and the big countries will end up having to save the smaller countries. Causing resentment and possible uncivilized behavior.

Funny thing during this discussion someone got all, this is too serious, and we both shot him down as the immature one for not recognizing the serious nature.

From what I have heard dealing with people in many of these countries. I used to do operations for clearing trades in every country in the world. In pakistan, they literally had a guy on a bike delivering physical notes. And I would have to follow up with him somehow. But I would talk to my contacts almost daily in each country and I would ask about life and the differences in cultures.

I also spent a week in a small town in Italy. The Siesta is not unique to Spain, it was in Italy also. Everyone worked 9-12 Came home made food, then went back from 2-6 or 7. Or not at all.

And I am sure you have the lazy French, or something along those lines. English people will tell you they are lazy, flat out. I won't but where this comes from.

Point being is I have a touch of insight, not an expert in any ways, but there is not drive to succeed for whatever reason, and to many people like living on family the dole, etc...

So I do think the unemployment rate there being a half point higher than it was in 1997 is somewhat normal for that region/economy.

With Germany being the standard and now trying to make the Euro work, and England laughing because of the value of the pound, and there spending power in every other country.